TINKICKER

Danish band Tinkicker appears to have specialized themselves in the creation of conceptual albums, and in terms of general style early 80's heavy metal appears to be their main platform this time around. Some trace elements of music that reminds of late 70's Rush may be uncovered by the avid listener, while just about anyone that gives this disc a spin should easily hear certain Black Sabbath inspired vibes as a recurring feature throughout. Still, classic heavy metal is the bread and butter of this one from what I can hear, and if you enjoy that kind of music this CD is worth an inspection.

But, I'm not sure that an improvement in sound would make much difference, as in many ways this is a workmanlike album that is okay, but is never really much more than that. There are enough good ideas and musicianship to move it well out of the 'poor' category, but nothing like enough to make it 'essential'. I found that my interest was soon waning, but am also sure that if I saw them in concert I would enjoy it and would buy the CD, but I don't think I would play it much after I got it home. But, if you can't get enough of symphonic style progressive hard rock that sounds as if it came out 40 years ago then this might just be for you, but if you want something that is more vibrant and essential then look elsewhere. www.mals.ru

Tinkicker is a band hard to pin down in terms of genre definitions, and on this occasion they reside on the borders between traditional heavy metal, early doom metal and progressive metal. And while fans of the latter genre might find this CD to be appealing, I would imagine the band's core audience this time around being older metal fans, who have a taste for the more advanced bands of that kind ? alongside those who enjoy acts such as Candlemass, Cathedral and - obviously - Black Sabbath.

With a wide range of influences from the world of hard rock and heavy metal, Tinkicker have produced an album very much in the old school style, with few major influences to the sound hailing from after the 80's. They are fond of using acoustic guitar licks as the main melody provider, often with drawn out fuzz guitar chords adding nerve as well as texture to the composition.

One aspect that sets this album apart is that it is a purebred concept album, with a well planned storyline divided into 16 interlocking parts; all tunes connect to each other through melodic segments or sounds.

The downside to this release is threefold: The songs lacks that little extra to stand out, the sound and production leaves a bit to be desired, and the overall sound and style have been explored extensively by other bands for a few decades now.

Still, it's not a bad release, and if you fancy a concept album mixing old school had rock and metal this one might be considered.